


Close at Hand

by wesawbears



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 02:36:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10710399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesawbears/pseuds/wesawbears
Summary: Neil reaches his breaking point with the freshmen talking about Andrew and things they don't understand.





	Close at Hand

Neil loved his family. They kept him moving and let him be who he was, no questions asked. The treated him like he was their equal and like nothing from his past mattered. With them, all that mattered was who he was on the court. Neil Josten.

Which is what made it so fucking annoying when they didn’t extend the same courtesy to Andrew.

Andrew, who had saved their asses on the court more than a few times. Andrew, who kept Neil grounded when all he wanted to do was run. Andrew, who made promises and never once faltered.

Neil could take a lot. What bothered him more was the fact that Andrew didn’t give a damn what they said about him. Still, he knew Andrew didn’t want Neil to fight his battles for him, so he kept his mouth shut.

As finals drew closer, though, Neil felt his nerves growing thinner and thinner and he knew a break in his short temper was inevitable. 

It came one day at lunch, as he picked at at his sandwich and reviewed some equations while trying to ignore the freshman at his table. His head snapped up, though, at the mention of Andrew’s name.

“I asked him to move his racquet off of my locker and he just stared at me until I walked away. It was so weird. What is his damage, anyway?”

Neil sighed audibly in what he hoped was a subtle attempt to get them to shut up, since he already didn’t like the attention that came from being vice-captain and didn’t want to attract any more.

True to form, though, Jack couldn’t resist opening his mouth at the worst times. If he wasn’t such an asshole, Neil bet Andrew would compare them. “You better just steer clear of him altogether. They don’t call him the monster for nothing. He’d probably slam your skull into the wall for fun if you gave him the chance.”

Neil didn’t look away from his book as he said, very civilly, “Shut the fuck up, Jack.”

Of course, though, Jack just smirked and went on, “Wow, Cap. I know you have a lot of problems, but I didn’t know Stockholm Syndrome was one of them. Or is it just that he’s the only one demented enough to enjoy looking at your fucked up face?”

Neil closed his book in a way that he thought showed great restraint considering how he was imagining Jack’s neck was between the pages. “Jack. I understand that your constant need for my attention stems from a lack of intimacy in your childhood. Honestly, though, that’s par for the course on this team, so it doesn’t give you any special privileges. So I highly suggest that you remember that if I or Andrew thought you were worth taking care of, we are more than capable of doing so. As such, you don’t even register on his radar because seven months in, you have yet to score on him. Find a new hobby. I’m bored.”

He didn’t bother to wait for Jack’s response before getting up and walking away.

\--

Brynn walked quickly, cursing how far away the stadium was from the dorms. It felt like everyone on this team had a car except her, which usually wasn’t a big deal except for right now, when she forgot her phone at the stadium and didn’t realize it until 11 PM. She didn’t ask anyone because she figured if Neil ran there sometimes, how far could it really be?

She had seriously miscalculated.

Once she finally got to the stadium, she punched in the security code and headed for the locker room, hoping someone was in there cleaning or something so she wouldn’t have to break in. Before she made it there, though, she heard the sound of voices coming from the guys’ locker room.

“My hand is fine, Andrew.”

“Then you won’t mind me looking at it.”

Shit. She hadn’t banked on anyone being here this late, let alone them, but in retrospect, it figured. She pressed herself against the wall and stayed very still to listen.

A bored voice said, “Learning curve. Non-existent.”

“You knew that going in.”

“Why do I put up with you?”

“My pretty face?”

“Mm. Except for your mouth.”

“Really? I can think of a few exceptions.”

“Stop talking.”

At the sound of them kissing, she let out an involuntary squeak. They stopped as she clapped her hand over her mouth and scrambled to move away from the door. She trembled a bit as Andrew came out of the locker room, but he didn’t seem concerned with her so much as keeping a hand out to shield Neil in case of danger. She had never thought of him as needing protecting, but if this was the side of Andrew Neil saw, she could sort of understand.

Once Neil came into the doorway, he immediately switched into Captain mode. “Brynn? What are you doing here this late?”

“My-my phone. I, uh, left my phone in the locker room.”

Neil sighed. “I’ll unlock it for you and then we’ll give you a ride home.”

She expected Andrew to protest and leave her to walk home, but he just headed off in the direction of the parking lot. As they went to join him, Brynn timidly said, “I’m sorry for what we said about him at lunch the other day.”

Neil shrugged. “Jack’s an asshole. I’m not counting on him getting better. But it’s nothing I didn’t expect.”

She nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the walk. And if on the drive home, if she saw Andrew’s gaze turn to Neil thought to herself that she’d misjudged them both, she kept it to herself.


End file.
